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SOMINA 04 - Gotz 1986ish Soft-Bodied 18" WEICHGELENKPUPPE - American Girl Doll Prototype
This Vintage Gotz Doll was produced around 1986ish (one doll is said to be signed in 1986; another 1987). She measures 46cm/18" tall and has a Doll ID # or Catalog Code #: UNKNOWN. As this doll was produced in an unknown year and may/may not have an actual catalog name, for cataloguing and American Girl doll collector purposes, Gotz Doll Wiki has named her "SOMINA 04," as she is the fourth "SOFT-BODIED ROMINA or ''SOMINA" (see below) to be catalogued. A 'SOMINA' shares the same facial mold as both the '''ROMINA' and American Girl dolls (ex. this SOMINA resembles "Kirsten"), but she has a soft, padded cloth torso vs. the all-vinyl torso of a ROMINA.'' '''SOMINA 04' has HAIR TYPE, long, slightly curly brown hair with straight bangs; in the photo on the right, her hair is worn in two high, side pigtails with white bows; however, it is unclear if this is her original hair style. Her "sleepy eyes" are BROWN with a DECAL eye design. This doll is an soft-bodied, articulated doll. Gotz categorizes this doll as a SOFT'' "ARTICULATED" DOLL''' (or "Weichgelenkpuppe") due to its SOFT body type (it is made out of soft, padded cloth) and for its "JOINTED" or ARTICULATED vinyl shoulders and hips, which allow '''''it to sit/stand unaided. (see Articulated Dolls). These dolls are designed to resemble natural human proportions. Weichgelenkpuppe's are classified as a "Play Doll;" they have been specifically designed and created with materials capable of withstanding vigorous child play. Play Dolls primarily have "rooted" hair, or hair that is inserted directly into the skull, (although some Weichgelenkpuppes will have a Kanekalon wig); "rooted" hair is very durable and can be repeatedly pulled/tugged. They may have "fixed" (painted, open/shut) eyes or "sleepy-eyes" (eyes open/shut when a doll's position is altered) made from quality plastics. Their outfits, while still high-quality and well-crafted, tend to be made from fabrics and materials that are selected more for durability and care than appearance. Finally, these dolls and their body parts are mass-produced and are not designed by a specific Doll Artist. 'Did You Know?' *''American Girl'' doll collectors refer to dolls with this facial mold as a "ROMINA" (if the doll is a girl) and a "ROMINO" (if the doll is a boy)? It's true! ROMINA/Os are considered by many to be the American Girl doll prototype. A "SOMINA" is the soft-bodied ROMINA. Pleasant Rowland, the founder of Pleasant Company and American Girl, decided to go with this doll's facial mold paired with a soft doll torso and voila! the American Girl doll line was born! This is why ROMINA/O and the first three American Girl dolls: Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly (along with dolls thereafter) all look alike; they all share this same “classic” facial mold. *In 1986, Gotz exclusively produced the first three historical American Girl dolls in their West Germany plant until production needs increased and additional production plants were opened in Hungary, Germany and even the United States! __TOC__ 'Catalog Information' *Doll Name: UNKNOWN/SOMINA 04 *Year Produced: UNKNOWN: PRODUCED AROUND 1986 **2 Dolls (one is said to have been signed in 1986; one is said to have been signed in 1987) *Doll ID #/Catalog Code #: UNKNOWN *Height in cm/inches: 46cm/18" *Torso Material: CLOTH *Body Type: SOFT-BODIED *German Classification: WEICHGELENKPUPPE *German Classification (in English): SOFT ARTICULATED DOLL *Doll Type: PLAY DOLL *Neckstamp Mold #: GOTZ-PUPPE *Doll Collection/Series/Lines: UNKNOWN - Possibly a Store Exclusive *'Facial Mold Used: ROMINA' *Original Cost of Doll: UNKNOWN *Country Doll Produced In: UNKNOWN 'Physical Characteristics' *Hair Color: BROWN HAIR *Hair Length: LONG HAIR *Hair Style: SLIGHTLY CURLY HAIR with straight bangs. *Hair Description: Long, slightly curly brown hair with straight bangs; her hair in the photo on the right is worn in two high, side pigtails with white bows (it is unclear if this is her original hair style). *Hair Type: UNKNOWN *Eye Type: SLEEPY EYES *Eye Color: BROWN EYES *Eye Design: DECAL **'DECAL': Eye design comprised of thin, striated, straight lines that radiate outwards from the pupil to the edge of the iris. *Other Noticeable Physical Traits: TEETH; American Girl'' Doll Prototype''' 'Articulation Classification' *Articulation Locations: Both shoulders; both hips *Internal Articulation Mechanism:' BALL-JOINTED SOCKETS' *Articulation Types: MULTI-ARTICULATED (4-5 JOINTS MOVE/POSE): Doll can sit/stand unaided; both shoulders and hips move/pose; head does not articulate but manually rotates within the cloth torso. 'Articulation Explained' Articulation refers to whether or not a doll '''can move one or more of its body parts (neck; arms; legs; waist, etc) ''independently of its body and/or hold that body part in a pose. Each moveable, poseable doll body part will typically have a ball-jointed socket, referred to as an articulation joint and each articulation joint is located on a specific part of the body (known as an articulation location). These articulation locations are then added up to classify the doll within a specific articulation type. It is important to catalog this information as many dolls share the same face mold but have different body types. Click on each "purple" word as this is a link to an article with more information on that topic. 'Original Outfit' Please provide a brief, detailed physical description on the appearance, material, design, etc. of this doll's original outfit along with any original accessories. Please Note: Gotz Doll Wiki is unable to factually verify that this is SOMINA 04's original outfit. 'Original Box' Please provide a brief, detailed physical description and photo of this doll's original box. Category:Doll Index Category:AMERICAN GIRL Doll Prototypes: ROMINA; ROMINO; SOMINA Category:DOLLS BY DECADE - UNKNOWN Category:Dolls Produced Between 1980-1989 Category:Article Category:Article Stub Category:Requires Fill-In Category:Photo Needed Category:Articulated Dolls Category:Play Dolls Category:Soft-Bodied Dolls Category:Cloth Torso Dolls Category:Weichgelenkstehpuppe = Articulated Soft Standing Doll Category:Weichgelenkpuppe = Articulated Soft Body Doll Category:Weichgelenkpuppe = Soft Articulated Doll Category:Dolls without Catalog Photos Category:Dolls without Catalog Names Category:UNKNOWN GERMAN DOLL NAME Category:Sleepy Eyes Category:18" Dolls Category:Dolls with Teeth Category:Light Skinned Dolls Category:Girl Dolls & Girl Baby Dolls Category:UNKNOWN HAIR TYPE Category:Brown to Dark Brown Haired Dolls Category:Long Haired Dolls Category:Slightly Curly Haired Dolls Category:Dolls with Bangs Category:Brown to Dark Brown Eyed Dolls Category:Decal Eyes Category:Gotz-Puppe